Student Alex Robles studies language skills at the Crown Point Adult Learning Center. Two Legacy Foundation grants to the center were among more than $1.1 million in funding to community organizations and scholarships during the first half of 2012.

Lake County’s leading philanthropic partner marks new milestone in funding of quality of life initiatives and educational attainment

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s leading philanthropic partner, funded nearly $1.1 million in grants and scholarships during the first six months of 2012.

“This significant investment in the quality of life and educational attainment of Northwest Indiana residents marks a new milestone for Legacy Foundation,” noted Harry Vande Velde III, president and chief executive officer. “We are leading the way in creating positive impact through funding that enhances the community, creates an informed and engaged citizenry, and helps youth graduate high school and realize their higher education and career goals.”

Legacy Foundation manages four major funds to support Lake County nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life for people throughout the region. From these funds, the foundation has awarded nearly $306,000 in grants so far this year.

Legacy Foundation also manages 30 scholarship programs within its $40 million in assets. These programs awarded $260,000 in new funds for the 2012-13 academic year, while students continue to benefit from $531,000 in renewable scholarships.

“Young people throughout Lake County are achieving great things academically while becoming engaged in their community,” Vande Velde said. “Legacy Foundation proudly stewards donors’ funds to support the hopes and dreams of these talented scholars to attain a college education.”

Grants make positive impact in the community

Campagna Academy soon will complete construction of an outdoor therapeutic recreation area on its 47-acre Schererville campus thanks to the support of a Legacy Foundation grant. CEO Elena Dwyre said the project features a low ropes course that will improve clinical services to children served by the facility, and will be offered to the community for programs such as leadership skills training. The project had been on the drawing board for some time and would not have been possible without the Legacy Foundation funding.

“This has allowed us to improve and strengthen our services for the children,” Dwyre said. “(Government) cuts in rates for our services have been quite significant, and without this type of financial support, nonprofits would not be able to add to the services we offer. It is important for us to find collaborative partners like Legacy Foundation.”

In Crown Point, the Adult Learning Center recently moved to new space in the Lakeview Square shopping center. The center currently is helping more than 120 students with GED preparation and English as a Second Language classes. A Legacy Foundation grant helps pay for rent, utilities, internet access and phone service. A second, matching grant will help the board build its fundraising capacity.

“Legacy Foundation’s funding is critical to our very basic needs,” said Carol Borowski, president of Friends of the Crown Point Adult Learning Center. “If we can’t pay the rent, we won’t have a school. We have been serving adult learners since 1979 and have been in several different locations in town, so we’re pleased to be able to continue the school serving the Crown Point community.”

An employee works with a homeless mother and child during intake at Sojourner Truth House in Gary. A Legacy Foundation grant to Sojourner Truth House will ensure a case manager works with each client to create a recovery plan.

Grants awarded during 2012

From January through June 2012, Legacy Foundation awarded grants to the following Lake County nonprofit organizations:

From the Lake County Community Fund

Campagna Academy to build an outdoor therapeutic recreation area

Catholic Charities to renovate parks and vacant lots in Gary

Crown Point Community Theatre to create a theater arts mentoring program

Food Bank of Northwest Indiana to collaborate on a teaching garden with Avicenna Academy, the Town of Merrillville, and GrowNWI

Dunes Learning Center to update curriculum for Lake County students

Friends of the Crown Point Adult Learning Center to rent program space and build fundraising capacity

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana to purchase building materials for two homes in East Chicago

Opportunity Enterprises to serve Lake County clients at the Lake Eliza campus

Our Family Center to build organizational capacity

Parents as Teachers of Lake County to provide parent educator services that include program monitoring and quality assurance activities

Shirley Heinze Land Trust to conduct an environmental education program for Hobart students

Sojourner Truth House to ensure a case manager works with each client to create a recovery plan

Teach for America to build organizational capacity in Lake County

Three Creeks Historical Association to restore the oldest historical brick home in Lake County

Tri-Town Safety Village to subsidize student participation in safety programming

From the Maria Reiner Senior Citizen Fund

Hobart Family YMCA to fund senior services in Hobart

School City of Hobart to fund senior arts programming in Hobart

From the College Readiness Fund

College Mentors for Kids to support a mentoring program for Hammond students

Communities in Schools to coach high school students to graduate high school and chart college and career opportunities

Gary Life Education Initiative to coach middle school students to graduate high school and chart college and career opportunities

Hammond Education Foundation to coach parents to teach their children through reading at home

Hobart Education Foundation to provide early childhood education classes for children and parents

Purdue University Calumet Education Talent Search to support college and career readiness programming

The Salvation Army to tutor students struggling with math and language arts

Urban Reach, Inc. to coach students to become the first generation of their family to graduate college

From the John S. and James L. Knight Fund

Gary Public Library South Shore Museum and Cultural Center to create a sustainability model for the museum and cultural center

Leadership Northwest Indiana to implement leadership programming for Lake County students

Teacher Pat Cope (left) reviews materials with student Angel Santomaria at the Crown Point Adult Learning Center. Two grants from Legacy Foundation help pay for rent and other basic needs of the center, as well as build the board’s fundraising capacity.

To learn more about the Legacy Foundation grants program, visit www.legacyfdn.org or email legacy@legacyfdn.org. Grant applications are posted August 1, and the next deadline for grant applications is Sept. 1, 2012.

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s leading philanthropic partner, today (May 2) held a lively Town Hall session with more than 100 representatives from area nonprofit organizations to educate them about important new resources and tools offered by the foundation.

“Legacy Foundation has been granting funds into the community and building partnerships with area nonprofits for 20 years,” said Harry J. Vande Velde III, president and chief executive officer. “We are proud to bring the area’s nonprofit sector the next level of collaboration tools, training and development opportunities and online resources that will help them raise money and build capacity. This will, over the long term, benefit the people of Lake County by enhancing the delivery of services from these organizations.”

The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation

Legacy Foundation introduced The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit mentoring and resource center. Through The Think Tank, Legacy Foundation staff and partners will help the area’s nonprofit sector solve problems and enhance nonprofit organizations’ capacity to deliver services.

A primary focus for The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation over the next year will be building communities of practice. Communities of practice bring together participants including nonprofit members, business professionals, civic leaders, religious leaders, funders and donors to build innovative partnerships that address community needs. The participants share their knowledge in specific service areas, which may include arts and culture, education, the environment and human services.

The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation is led by Director Trish Alt, who brings an extensive background in community foundation leadership and nonprofit collaboration to Legacy Foundation.

New grant opportunities

Legacy Foundation announced a new grantmaking strategy designed to strengthen the Lake County community.

“We define a strong Lake County community as one where informed and engaged citizens want to live, work, worship and play,” said Lara Kalwinski, Legacy Foundation vice president. “Our nonprofit community thrives as we dedicate ourselves to the collaborative spirit and to demonstrating collective impact.”

Nonprofit Training – up to $2,000 for organizations seeking professional guidance on how to manage their operations, programming, and fundraising

Transforming Lake County – programming that relates to a measure of improved economic, social or environmental well-being

Informed and Engaged Urban Communities – grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Fund for organizations bringing residents together to collectively address issues residents identify as important and to take action in ways they themselves deem appropriate

Improving Student Success – for organizations working to increase high school graduation rates, college and career opportunities

Supporting Hobart Seniors – grants from the Maria Reiner Senior Citizens Fund to support a vibrant senior community in Hobart

Online fundraising platform

Legacy Foundation also introduced an online donor engagement platform that enables nonprofit organizations to fundraise directly from the community with minimal effort and no cost. By simply clicking on the “Give in Lake County” button on Legacy Foundation’s newly redesigned website, www.legacyfdn.org, a 501(c)(3) organization can post and promote a need to the community.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit Legacy Foundation’s website often, click on “Give in Lake County,” and view local needs. Giving even a small amount can help an organization make a difference in the community.

$10,000 Cara Spicer Award

Vande Velde announced the application process for the Cara Spicer Award, a $10,000 one-time award to be made later this year to a Lake County organization.

Applicants for the award must have participated in Legacy Foundation’s previous Great Lake Award Initiative workshops for at least three years and must not have received the Great Lake Award for Excellence. Applications will be available via Legacy Foundation’s website June 1, with completed applications due August 1. The award will be presented in late fall.

For more details on all these programs, see Legacy Foundation’s newly redesigned website at www.legacyfdn.org.

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s leading philanthropic partner, invites area nonprofits to learn about new tools and resources that can help build their organizations at an informational session from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2, at the South Shore Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, 7770 Corinne Drive, Hammond.

Legacy Foundation will launch its nonprofit mentoring and resource center, The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation. The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation will help the area’s nonprofit sector solve problems and enhance their capacity to deliver quality services. Participants in the session will learn how to access resources offered by The Think Tank at Legacy Foundation, including: convening and facilitation of communities of practice; a newly redesigned website; meeting space; research, data collection and analysis; and a donor engagement platform that can enhance local fundraising.

Also during the Town Hall session, nonprofit organizations will gain insight into Legacy Foundation’s updated grantmaking strategy. In addition, Legacy Foundation will announce how to apply for the $10,000 Cara Spicer Award.

Seats for the Town Hall session are limited. Organizations that wish to send a representative are asked to RSVP to legacy@legacyfdn.org or (219) 736-1880 by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 30.

(MERRILLVILLE, Indiana) – Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s philanthropic partner, has moved to larger office space in the Twin Towers office complex at the intersection of I-65 and U.S. 30 in Merrillville.

Previously Legacy Foundation was located on the third floor of the South Tower. The new space features a multipurpose classroom, more individual offices for staff, and a spacious reception area for guests.

The expansion was necessary to accommodate Legacy Foundation’s growth as a leader in providing philanthropic resources to the Lake County community. The foundation provides grants, manages funds and scholarships, offers development workshops to nonprofit organizations and professional advisors, and partners with community leaders to support projects that solve problems and enhance lives.

Local students who may never before have had the opportunity to prepare for college entrance exams will have a better chance to go to college and prepare for careers through a grant from Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s philanthropic partner.

Legacy Foundation recently awarded The First Tee of Hammond $6,500 to help fund its ACT/SAT Prep and Golf Career Awareness program. Tiffani English, interim executive director of The First Tee of Hammond, said the program helps First Tee participants become more prepared for college entrance exams, as well as to consider golf-related careers.

“We’re trying to help our high-school participants be more prepared to go to college and to stay in college,” English said. “This program also helps them complete and submit a college application, learn about financial aid, and gives the opportunity for career and job shadowing.”

The grant, from Legacy Foundation’s College Readiness Fund, is among nearly $143,000 awarded recently to area nonprofit organizations. With the latest grant cycle, Legacy Foundation distributed nearly $555,700 to Lake County organizations during its 2010-11 fiscal year. The total includes $193,600 awarded to the City of Hobart, from the Maria Reiner Senior Citizens Fund managed by Legacy Foundation, to construct and furnish the city’s first-ever dedicated senior center.

“The power of philanthropy is that Legacy Foundation has brought a half-million dollars of donors’ funds into the community to benefit preschoolers through senior citizens,” said Harry J. Vande Velde III, president and chief executive officer of Legacy Foundation. “These worthy projects will enhance educational attainment, broaden civic and cultural opportunities in the region and support people in need.”

Other recent awards made by Legacy Foundation include:

From the Lake County Community Fund:

Chorus Angelorum – $9,550 to support the 26th Annual Concert of Music.

Indiana University Northwest – $4,500 to support the publication of “Dreams of Duneland,” a coffee-table book with several hundred color photographs and approximately 100 historic photographs. This funding will help cover the cost of printing, making the book more affordable for members of the community.

White’s Residential & Family Services, Inc. – $8,703 to support two 15-week sessions of the Nurturing Families Program and one 13-week session of the Nurturing Fathers Program to alleviate child abuse in at-risk Lake County homes.

Our Family Center – $15,000 to support an after-school tutoring and mentoring program for at-risk children, and the expansion of a youth leadership program during summer day camp.

From the College Readiness Fund:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana – $25,000 to support college preparatory activities, college tours, participation in the African American Student Achievement Conference and other college readiness efforts.

Communities in Schools of East Chicago – $8,700 to implement a program to assist all enrolled students and graduates and successfully access post-secondary educational opportunities.

Educating to Excel – $15,000 for continuation of mentoring and college and career readiness activities for low-income, potential first generation college students in grades 6-12.

Gary Life Education Initiative – $15,000 for continuation of college readiness opportunities for students in need at Lew Wallace STEM Academy.

G.E.M.S. – $5,000 for implementation of college readiness workshops and higher educational institute tours for early exposure to a post-secondary educational setting.

International Institute of LACASA – $5,000 for implementation of a student assistance program that will provide information and options to aid in the decision to attend post-secondary education through developing college preparation plans, college visits, and distribution of information.

Our Family Center – $11,400 to implement a college preparatory program that will discuss and provide scholarship opportunities, incentives, part-time guidance counselors, tutoring, mentoring, PSAT/SAT prep, financial aid counseling, and college tours.

Purdue University Calumet’s TRIO Program – $1,000 for the expansion and continuation of community-based seminars and workshops that address college access issues such as admissions standards and financing.

Salvation Army Gary/Merrillville – $11,500 for continuation of after-school and summer programs that focus on the remediation of children in math and language arts while promoting college preparedness and access initiatives.

From the Maria Reiner Senior Citizens Fund

Hobart Education Foundation – $1,000 to support a social outing at the County Line Orchard for grandparents and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

To apply for funding

The next deadline for submitting grant applications is Sept. 1, 2011. Download a grant application and guidelines at www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org. A “brown bag session” for nonprofit organizations wishing to learn more about applying for grants to Legacy Foundation will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the Munster branch of the Lake County Public Library. To register, call (219) 736-1880 or e-mail maerts@legacyfoundationlakeco.org.

Program Director Brandon White instructs participants in The First Tee of Hammond's golf and life skills program. Legacy Foundation benefits people of all ages throughout Lake County by making grants to nonprofit organizations such as The First Tee of Hammond.

Legacy Foundation sponsors annual series of workshops to build and sustain robust organizations serving the community

(MERRILLVILLE, Indiana) – Lake County nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply now for the Great Lake Award Initiative, an opportunity to build capacity through training, technical assistance and a “Make it Happen” grant opportunity.

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s Community Foundation, has been sponsoring and organizing this initiative since 2005. To date, more than 50 area nonprofit groups have participated in the program.

“The Great Lake Award Initiative gives leaders of nonprofit organizations of all sizes and with varying missions a unique opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge that they can put to use immediately,” said Cara Spicer, program officer for Legacy Foundation. “This year we are focusing on maximizing organizational strengths and identifying extra capacity in these areas that can support improvement in other areas of the organization.”

Be awarded “Make It Happen” grant dollars of up to $1,000 per organization

Qualify to compete for a 2013 Great Lake Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management

Complete details and the simple application for the program can be found on Legacy Foundation’s Web site, www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org/nonprofits.html. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on March 11. The program begins March 29. The first 20 organizations that submit applications meeting all program requirements will be selected for participation. There is no charge to the organizations to participate. Questions may be directed to Cara Spicer at (219) 736-1880.

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s Community Foundation, offers a new philanthropic resource to serve nonprofit organizations’ staff and volunteers, individual donors, professional advisors, community leaders and anyone who works to advance charitable giving.

Legacy Foundation produced its 2009-10 Annual Report as a colorful binder full of useful information that goes beyond a financial report to provide users a tool to use in their philanthropic pursuits. The entire resource is available on the Legacy Foundation Web site at http://www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org.

“We designed this binder with you, the user, in mind,” Harry J. Vande Velde III, president and chief executive officer, told nearly 200 guests at Legacy Foundation’s recent community reception, where the binder was introduced and distributed. “I encourage you to refer to it frequently and to add information throughout the year relevant to fundraising and grant making.”

Vande Velde noted that the binder is a tangible example of how Legacy Foundation serves the Lake County community.

Harry J. Vande Velde III, President and CEO of Legacy Foundation speaking at the annual reception

“We are mission oriented, constituency sensitive and fiscally responsible,” he stated. “Legacy Foundation is focused on facilitating philanthropy throughout the community, supporting the nonprofit organizations that do important work to enhance the quality of life, and being good stewards of donors’ gifts.”

The Legacy Foundation report is titled, “What’s Your Legacy?” In addition to audited financial statements for the foundation’s most recent fiscal year and rosters of current staff, volunteer board members and committees, the binder includes:

Highlights of programs and scholarships funded through Legacy Foundation.

An honor roll of donors, partners and friends who support the Foundation.

Grant guidelines, tips and forms to make the process of applying for grants simpler and more productive.

Information about opportunities to participate in Legacy Foundation initiatives.

Legacy Foundation’s annual community reception featured a tribute to the late Edward J. Radigan, longtime community leader, businessman, philanthropist and the first president of Legacy Foundation. Radigan passed away Sept. 21 at the age of 85.

Dr. John T. Scully offered touching reflections about his lifelong friend. Nancy K. Johnson, who succeeded Radigan as president of Legacy Foundation, shared fond and sometimes humorous memories of learning from him.

Also during the reception, Legacy Foundation recognized the 2010 Great Lake Award Initiative participants and their mentors.